90 Mr. E. C. Taylor on the Birds of the West Indies. 



to those of the native hunters ; but I secured four good specimens 

 of the birdsj which proved to be Steatornis ca?'ipensis. This 

 extraordinary-looking bird is quite sui generis, and is very unlike 

 the Caprimulgida, with which it is usually classed. It has the 

 beak of a Hawk, and is without the enormous gape of a Capri- 

 mulgus. The feathers of the wings and tail are strong and stiff; 

 and the food is said to be fruits. The wounded birds defended 

 themselves with their strong beaks with great spirit. These 

 birds are known in Trinidad as Gudcheros, and the nestlings are 

 eaten and much esteemed ; they are said to be very delicate, and 

 excessively fat : the old ones have a strong, Crow-like smell ; 

 their legs are nearly bare of feathers. There is another breeding- 

 station of these birds in Trinidad, in a cave opening on to the 

 sea, in an island near the Boca del Drago. The difference in 

 temperature between the two caves (the one at an elevation of 

 2500 feet, the other on a level with the sea) must be very great ; 

 so I suppose the Steatornis is not particular to a few degrees of 

 heat more or less. 



86. Nyctibius pectoralis, Sclater's Cat. no. 1669. 

 Obtained in Trinidad from a native collector. 



87. LuROCALis SEMiTORQUATUS, Sclater's Cat. no. 1671. 

 Obtained in Trinidad. 



' 88. Nyctidromus guianensis, Sclater's Cat. no. 1690. 

 Obtained in Trinidad, from a native collector. 



"" 89. Glaucis mazeppa, Gould, Mon. Troch. i. pi. 6. 



Trinidad abounds in Humming-birds, as I before stated, far 

 more than those parts of the mainland which I visited. I pro- 

 cured fourteen species in Trinidad, and one species on the main. 

 I was informed that nineteen species occur in Trinidad; but I 

 only saw the fourteen species that I proceed to enumerate. 

 Glaucis mazeppa is one of the most abundant and about the 

 least brightly coloured of the Trinidad Humming-birds. It fre- 

 quents flowering trees and shrubs in gardens, where it may be 

 seen in numbers darting about from flower to flower. 



*i)0. Phaetiiornis guyi, Gould, Mon. Troch. i. pi. 26. 

 This species seems solitary in its habits, as, contrary to the 



